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This article is written for those who want to get better at using price to earnings ratios (P/E ratios). To keep it practical, we'll show how Tianjin Port Development Holdings Limited's (HKG:3382) P/E ratio could help you assess the value on offer. Tianjin Port Development Holdings has a price to earnings ratio of 13.33, based on the last twelve months. That is equivalent to an earnings yield of about 7.5%.
Check out our latest analysis for Tianjin Port Development Holdings
How Do You Calculate A P/E Ratio?
The formula for P/E is:
Price to Earnings Ratio = Price per Share ÷ Earnings per Share (EPS)
Or for Tianjin Port Development Holdings:
P/E of 13.33 = HK$0.70 ÷ HK$0.05 (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2019.)
Is A High Price-to-Earnings Ratio Good?
The higher the P/E ratio, the higher the price tag of a business, relative to its trailing earnings. All else being equal, it's better to pay a low price -- but as Warren Buffett said, 'It's far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price.
Does Tianjin Port Development Holdings Have A Relatively High Or Low P/E For Its Industry?
The P/E ratio indicates whether the market has higher or lower expectations of a company. The image below shows that Tianjin Port Development Holdings has a higher P/E than the average (8.4) P/E for companies in the infrastructure industry.
Its relatively high P/E ratio indicates that Tianjin Port Development Holdings shareholders think it will perform better than other companies in its industry classification. The market is optimistic about the future, but that doesn't guarantee future growth. So further research is always essential. I often monitor director buying and selling.
How Growth Rates Impact P/E Ratios
When earnings fall, the 'E' decreases, over time. That means unless the share price falls, the P/E will increase in a few years. So while a stock may look cheap based on past earnings, it could be expensive based on future earnings.
Tianjin Port Development Holdings saw earnings per share decrease by 55% last year. And it has shrunk its earnings per share by 16% per year over the last five years. This could justify a pessimistic P/E.
Don't Forget: The P/E Does Not Account For Debt or Bank Deposits
The 'Price' in P/E reflects the market capitalization of the company. In other words, it does not consider any debt or cash that the company may have on the balance sheet. The exact same company would hypothetically deserve a higher P/E ratio if it had a strong balance sheet, than if it had a weak one with lots of debt, because a cashed up company can spend on growth.